DALLAS – Five Conference USA student-athletes, led by Southern Miss outfielder
Reed Trimble, who was selected by the Baltimore Orioles 65th overall in the Competitive Balance B Round, were taken on the second day of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Southern Miss pitcher
Ryan Och was selected in the seventh round by the San Diego Padres (No. 220 overall), Old Dominion pitcher
Hunter Gregory was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth round (No. 242 overall), Louisiana Tech outfielder
Parker Bates was picked by the Kansas City Royals in the ninth round (No. 259 overall) and Middle Tennessee pitcher
Aaron Brown was selected by the Houston Astros in the ninth round (No. 268 overall).
CONFERENCE USA 2021 MLB FIRST-YEAR PLAYER DRAFT SELECTIONS
OF
Reed Trimble (Southern Miss) – Competitive Balance Round B (No. 65 overall) – Baltimore Orioles
P
Ryan Och (Southern Miss) – Seventh Round (No. 220 overall) – San Diego Padres
P
Hunter Gregory (Old Dominion) – Eighth Round (No. 242 overall) – Toronto Blue Jays
OF
Parker Bates (Louisiana Tech) – Ninth Round (No. 259 overall) – Kansas City Royals
P
Aaron Brown (Middle Tennessee) – Ninth Round (No. 268 overall) – Houston Astros
Trimble became the third Golden Eagle chosen in the opening two rounds over the last four drafts and the seventh player in the program's history taken in the top two rounds. He was a three-time Freshman All-America and two-time overall All-America selection in 2021 following a season that saw him tie for the team lead in batting average at .345, while holding the top spots on the squad with 17 home runs, 72 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 59 games played. His RBI total ranked tied for first in the country, while his other numbers included 14 doubles and two triples, while registering a .414 on-base percentage and a team-high .638 slugging percentage.
Och, the top pitcher out of the Golden Eagle bullpen, appeared in 21 games and posted an 8-0 record with a 1.27 ERA to go along with two saves. He fanned 59 and walked 12 in 35.1 innings, giving up 26 hits and seven runs (five earned), while opponents only hit .210 against him. He earned second-team All-Conference USA honors and did not give up a run in his last two outings – earning victories over Louisiana Tech in the Air Force Reserve C-USA Championship and Florida State in the NCAA Oxford Regional – as he fanned 18 and walked three with three hits spanning 8.2 innings in those two outings.
Gregory pitched in 16 games with 15 starts this season and went 8-2 on the year and was third in C-USA with a 2.95 ERA. He ranked sixth in C-USA with 88 strikeouts and walked just 19, while opponents hit just .223 off of him. In 79.1 innings, Gregory allowed 65 hits and 26 earned runs. He tossed three complete-games this season.
Bates earned ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-American honors, South-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team honors, First Team All-Conference USA honors and Ruston NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team honors in 2021. He led C-USA in on-base percentage (.471) while ranking in the top 10 among conference players in triples (third – four), RBI (fourth – 62), batting average (sixth – .346) and hits (seventh – 79). Bates also topped all conference hitters with a .406 batting average and .523 on-base percentage in C-USA play.
Brown was a second-team All-Conference USA performer in 2021 with a 7-5 record and a 3.99 ERA in 14 starts for the Blue Raiders. He led C-USA and was tied for No. 25 nationally with 113 strikeouts and only walked 15 (No. 8 in the nation in strikeout to walk ratio) in 85.2 innings pitched, including five starts with 11 or more strikeouts. He was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the 2021 C-USA Championship after his performance in a 7-2 victory over nationally ranked Charlotte.
The 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft has 20 total rounds, plus compensation picks and two competitive balance rounds. The final 10 rounds of the MLB Draft will take place July 13.